Grimsby Town defender Luke Hendrie hopes the Mariners can match the fans’ efforts and put in a positive performance against Lincoln City in the Lincolnshire Derby at Sincil Bank on Saturday (1pm).

The Mariners will be backed by a following of 1,550 Town fans in the Stacey West Stand for the Sky Bet League Two clash at the weekend.

And 24-year-old Hendrie, who signed a permanent deal with the club until 2021 last week, said he hopes the Mariners can give their fans something extra to cheer about in the Lincolnshire Derby.

Speaking on iFollow Mariners, he said: “I’m looking forward to it. It will be a good atmosphere, but we want to go there and get a result – that would make it sweeter.

“Last year, by all accounts, was quite a disappointing performance so hopefully we can be better this year and come away with three points.”

And Hendrie said Michael Jolley’s side can be encouraged by their performance in the 1-1 draw with the Imps at Blundell Park earlier in the season.

He said: “We played really well. A lot of the lads say that was probably one of the better performances of the season so far.

“We should have come away with three points, but we just didn’t finish our chances really.

“And, at that time of the season, that was probably our biggest downfall – we were playing well in a lot of games, but we just weren’t converting our chances into goals.

“But, since then, I think we’ve got an identity now and a formation that we like to play, so long may that continue.

“The main thing for us is that we know if we turn up we’ll be a tough game for anyone, so we’ll go there with confidence, and hopefully we can come away with the right result.

“We go there and just worry about ourselves, and how we do, and hopefully – to a man – we can come away and be proud of ourselves come 3pm Saturday.”

We will be showing the SOLD OUT Lincolnshire Derby LIVE in McMenemy’s at Blundell Park on Saturday (1pm)!